Edible Christmas presents - recipes please

[franch]

Forward planning Especially looking for things I can make well in advance and store or freeze.

Truffles, chocolates, cakes, ...

Jams and jellies go down well. Apple and mint jelly is good. Spiced cranberry jelly is good for christmas. Bog standard blackerry jelly? Couldn't be easier.

I can recommend cranberry and white chocolate fudge -the recipe is on here somewhere if you do a search.

This thread

Mmm, many thanks

OrmIrian, do you have recipe for cranberry jelly? Lost my jelly-making virginity recently (apple) and would like to try something different.

Is jelly as big an undertaking as jam? I am still a virgin on both counts

Chocolate Clusters

125g each of Dark Choc, White Choc, Dried mixed fruit & glace ginger

Place dark & white choc in seperate bowls and melt

Stir the fruit into the dark choc and the ginger into the white choc

Spoon the mixture into small paper cases and leave to set at room temp

Will keep for 4 weeks if kept in airtight container.

Dried Apricot Chutney

500g dried apricots
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
50ml/16fl oz cider vinegar
230g/7.5oz firmly packed soft brown sugar
125g/4oz sultanas
2 tsp mustard seeds, crushed
2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
80ml/2 3/4 floz orange juice
1/h tsp grated orange rind

Put apricots in a bowl and cover with 2 litres water - leave to soak for 2 hrs

Drain and put 1 litre of the soaking water into a pan (make up with fresh water if there is not enough)

Chop the apricots and put them and all the other ingredients except the oj and rind into the pan adding 1 tsp salt

Stir the mixture over a low heat for 5 mins or until all the sugar has dissolved. Bring to boil and then cover and boil for 45 mins, stirring often making sure that towards the end the mixture does not stick or burn.

Stir in oj and rind then spoon mixture into clean jars.

Use skewer to remove any air bubbles then seal jars. Turn each jar upside down for 2 mins then label and date.

Ideal is to leave the jars for a month to develop before handing out. They will store for up to 12 mths in a cupbpard but once opened need to go in fridge and be used within 6 weeks.

oh, fab. More recipes everyone

Apple chutney/apple jelly and others at this page

lilo - no, I'm sorry . I make it up as I go along. I think the general rule is 1lb of sugar (jam making sugar) for one 1 pt of juice. I just added some cloves and cinnamon sticks whilst boiling the fruit. Second time I made some I cheated by using partly fruit and partly commercial juice as the fruit is so expensive. Worked OK though.

do you just boil, then strain, the cranberries then? Am ok from there, just wondered how you extracted the juice. But good idea about commerical cranberry juice, you're right, the fruit are v. expensive if you are just using the juice. My friend makes wine jelly - 1 pint of wine to 1 lb of jam sugar. Mmmm!!!

To get juice from the fruit, boil it with 2fl oz water per lb of fruit. For about an hour. Strain through a jelly bag overnight. Then measure the juice and add the appropriate amt of sugar. Boil the sugar and juice until the sugar dissolves and until the right temp is reached. Test on a white place to see if the set is right - ie if the jelly doesn't drip if you tip it.

PS sorry for the imperial measures. I'm not really all that old but mum taught me what I know and she is!

thanks! Imperial measures mean more to me anyway (I AM that old!!)

Oops. Sorry lilo .

White place was meant to be white plate.

Truffles:

Mix equal amounts of double cream and dark chocolate melted over hot water, add a dash of rum or brandy or any liquer.

Wait for mixture to semi set.

Use tea spoons or melon bowler to shape into spheres.

Either dust in cocoa or refrigerate until solid then use cocktail sticks to stab the spheres and coat in cooled melted white chocolate. The second takes a bit of practice as the chocolate to coat with must not be too hot and the chocolate balls must be very solid.

Lots of recipes in Delia's Chrisrmas Cookery Book, including truffles and preserves

.........just checked on Amazon, and you can get a copy from less than 3 pounds

Thanks all you've got me thinking

I made this last year and it was really well-received. It makes the house STINK while you are boiling the vinegar, though. It's quite like sweet chili sauce.

uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/513348

I made Nigella's Sunshine/ Pineapple Chutney for christmas presents. It was great with cold meat, and brightened up the kitchen a bit!

Never made jam/chutney - am more likely to go for truffles and other sweet things - how far ahead can you make them?

Once my kids and I did peanut butter 'faux fudge' as they were little and I didn't want them round the hot sugar.

Mix 170g margarine with 250g peanut butter and 450g icing sugar.
Stir till really well combined then press into a shallow tin and chill till firm. Cut in to small squares and put in to little bags before giving away.

You can also melt chocolate and pour over when chilled, then chill again. Like vegan reeses cups!

If you want to include alcohol I have a great Limoncello recipe.
I'll go and get it whilst you decide